ERC gets UK grant for power market monitoring system

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has received a UK grant in the form of a technical assistance package for the development of market monitoring systems.

The grant was made possible through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Global Opportunities Fund for Economic Governance.

The grant is specifically intended to enhance the technical capability of the ERC’s Spot Market Division in regulating the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) through the setting up of the ERC’s own market monitoring system and procedures and by extensive training and workshop.

British firm EA Technology was tapped to implement the technical assistance program, equipped with an extensive consulting experience in the deregulation of wholesale and retail energy markets.

"The Philippine electricity industry is fortunate to be provided with insights and experiences of experts from the UK and other countries worldwide," ERC chairman Rodolfo B. Albano Jr. said.

The technical advisors for the grant are Andrew Jackson and John Bennett.

Jackson worked for the UK electricity regulator, the Victorian Power Exchange, and a range of senior consulting roles, including the development of regulatory policies with respect to the England and Wales Pool, among others.

Benett, on the other hand, has a strong utility industry background within the retail sector and in a variety of senior consulting roles in the UK and continental Europe.

Part of the technical assistance involves a series of market monitoring discussions as well as experiences of other electricity markets in the evolution and implementation of market monitoring processes around the world.